New Balance Men's 754 Lightweight Running Shoes for Gym Training & Walking - Comfortable Athletic Sneakers for Workouts, Jogging & Casual Wear

These aesthetically pleasing NB 754 boots are great, but they do come a half-size too small. They are very warm, and sturdy, with a substantial tread which is great on metal steps. The material does look like a smooth synthetic-type leather, but I believe the upper part really is made of genuine leather based on a distinct leather-type smell (especially when they get warm under the car blowers). I'm going to try and get the half-size (which seem to be a bit trickier to get). I have found that there's quite a "sponginess" to the tongue which makes it harder to ensure that the laces are done up tightly, and you can find that they are not done up enough even though you did tighten the laces properly. However, they are still very comfortable. Even when done up tightly, they don't dig in at that ankle level, but if you are slightly out with the size, they will either be to cramped or you will move around in them. I really think that these boots sit in the realm of half-sizes. I bought the ones that have a reddish-maroon colour going around the base, but the pictures don't really show how red they are in real life, and the laces which reddish-pink flecks which really jump out. I will definitely get the black ones next time.